Tag Archives: amherstburg

Aldo DiCarlo’s Comment On No Commitment To Remove OPP Clause In Police Contract

Posted on by

In response to the Commentary, “No Commitment To Remove OPP Clause In Police Contract,” Aldo DiCarlo’s comment is:

This is an issue that I have spent a considerable amount of time on, specifically because of the large potential savings, $1M or more. At last night’s debate, Deputy Mayor Suttherland stated that an OPP costing takes at least 18 months. As a taxpaying resident, not a just a mayoral candidate, this both angers and frustrates me. If it does indeed take this amount of time, why then did not a single council member make the motion to request the OPP costing. If one of them did, I would like to know who and why it was voted down. ALL contracts have an expiry date. Did a single one of the current council members do their due diligence in requesting an OPP costing early enough so that we could have reviewed our options now that the contract is being negotiated? I believe the answer is no, and I’d be happy to be wrong.

New OPP Billing Model for Municipalities

Posted on by

The new model, which takes effect January 1, 2015, reflects input from the Auditor General and municipalities to more fairly and transparently distribute policing costs.

Quick Facts

  • The OPP provides policing services to 324 Ontario municipalities.
  • The current OPP billing model was introduced in 1998 and has not been updated in 17 years.
  • The OPP acted on the Auditor General’s 2012 report in revising the billing model.
  • The average per property cost for OPP services in 2015 is estimated to be $355, compared to an average of $787 (estimated) for self-policed municipalities.

Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Newsroom

Limited Accessible Voting Options?

Posted on by

Accessibility information is included on the back of the voter registration: “Accessible voting equipment is available on all advance voting days to assist voters who cannot negotiate a paper ballot. On Election Day this equipment will be available at the Libro Credit Union Centre.”

What will it take for Amherstburg to become as progressive as other municipalities and switch to the more accessible online voting option?

Give Phipps His Walking Papers

Posted on by

Commentary by Linda Saxon

In May, Phipps confirmed he was leaving (The Windsor Star) before reaching the end of his two-year contract but said, “I feel an obligation to hang in there to see that the election is run properly and legally.” I do not recall any reports that any elections were not run properly and legally, nor do I recall that additional positions were needed to run an election. Besides, if the new CAO is capable, Phipps can leave; he has overstayed his welcome.

Too much emphasis has been placed on the ‘negative’ people in this community and the negative media coverage but when Phipps, as CAO, behaves in an antagonistic manner, how much negativity is created?

I posted Phipps’ email, “So by notice Ms Saxon, you will no longer have to deal with any “insolent” staff because you will deal with me only.”

Unless someone advises me that all the town hall staff have been let go and Phipps will do it all, I will contact whomever I wish and whenever I want to request information as a free citizen. As I advised Phipps and everyone on council, “historically, there has never been a requirement to provide a reasonable explanation for a request for information. However, if council has established a policy for how administration deals with requests, i am not aware of such a policy.”

No one is obliged to disclose any reason for a request, even when filing an official FOI request form, which is rarely necessary where information is freely available through an open and transparent policy. Oh, but the town has no such policy according to Phipps, “With respect to accountability and transparency, I believe the Town has done as much as is reasonably possible to ensure both. There are no written policies.”

Regardless of the decree, “We will not be providing you with hiring policies or the procurement of goods and services unless you can provide me with a reasonable explanation for the request,” my explanation is that i am a person with a disability and i wish to scrutinize my municipality’s policies.

Phipps’ iphone response was, “I will consider your request based on the limited info you have provided.”

As of January 1, 2008, S.270 of the Municipal Act required that municipalities adopt policies in each of the areas that I requested; Section 224 of the act explicitly includes accountability and transparency as part of the role of council.

I imagine the new council will be busy ensuring compliance with legislative requirements and hopefully establishing a policy for dealing with inquiries from the public that would include training in customer service. Phipps is, after all, a civil servant.